But can Googlesucceed in a crowded market? While details on Google’s plans are still sparse, it faces some major challenges with game developers.

The numbers suggest Google has an opportunity. Games made for mobile devices, are the fastest growing segment of the market, expected to rise 13.5% to more than $9.94 billion, up from $8.76 billion in 2012. Sales of games made for videogame consoles, however, are growing much more slowly, up only 4% this year to nearly $26 billion.

Preliminary sales of the Ouya, which hit the market on Tuesday, were solid. And there are more of these devices coming down the pike, such as the GameStick.

Where does that leave Google?

It will have to cope with the videogame industry’s love of exclusive titles. There are some games, such as Activision Blizzard’s “Call of Duty,” that can play on pretty much anything with buttons and a joystick. But companies like Sony and Microsoft have purchased videogame studios to make exclusive titles for their devices too. “Halo” and “Uncharted” have been among the most successful titles in the industry, and both of them are exclusive to the Xbox or PlayStation.

Apple has been able to largely avoid this by becoming a go-to device for mobile game developers. Since it led the modern smartphone revolution, companies have created de-facto exclusives for it, such as “Infinity Blade,” a fantasy sword-fighting game that was a big hit among gamers for its high quality visuals.
Android’s most successful games, for the most part, are available on other platforms. That would likely need to change to make the company’s videogame console more enticing.

Then Google has a potential microchip problem. If Google chose to court the likes of Activision and Electronic Arts to bring high-end games made for the Xbox and PlayStation to its console as well, that would likely need to use chips in its console made by Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.

Videogame companies have said Microsoft and Sony’s decisions to use the same types of chips, made by AMD, in their upcoming Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have helped lower the cost of development. If Google used the same chips of its console that it does for mobile devices, which are based on designs made by ARM, that would make extra work for game developers.

A spokeswoman from Activision declined to comment. Representatives for Google and EA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.